Chapter 300: Screams of the Sky Castles

The old gods' bodies were structured by the system. This allowed them to move their massive bodies that were tens to hundreds of meters in size effortlessly in the physical environment of external space.

Moreover, wrapped in divinity, they possessed resistance to magic in their inner space, as well as resistance to divine powers. Even in an unprepared state, they normally did not consider the possibility of losing their lives. The idea of being split into two and dying was beyond their basic imagination.

‘...Damn it.’

Aldin observed as the old gods lost in silence, unsure of what emotions they should be feeling.

'...Is this Nebula's doing?'

Aldin knew that Hegemonia was capable of using skills. Being able to use Hierophany naturally meant that she could also use skills through her Hierophany body.

'But...both Skip and Space Cut are too costly. According to my calculation, if she miss two or three times...or perhaps even missing once would exhaust the time she could keep Hierophany running.'

Of course, if Hegemonia succeeded even once, she would gain XP points, her Divinity level would rise, and additional Faith points would follow. And Hegemonia had succeeded in doing that.

'What was she thinking using such skill settings?'

Aldin knew well about the skills. She knew the way players played. Skills like Skip were difficult for the enemy to anticipate, but conversely, it was hard for the user of the skill to control their own body. Space Cut was a combo that essentially converted its cost entirely into attack power. Missing even once would be a huge loss.

Aldin, or any sensible player, wouldn’t choose Skip and Space Cut as good skills. They would choose lower-risk, high-efficiency skills. That was the more logical and proper approach.

But the one Aldin was facing was Hegemonia. Hegemonia knew herself; she was confident that she wouldn’t fail the first attack.

'...No, it's just the beginning. I can just make her Fall. We have the system. Then she becomes a mere mortal. I could crush her with just a finger.'

More precisely, with the palm of the hand. The Angry One was about ten meters tall; dealing with her would be akin to dealing with a small animal for a human. A mere kick could crush Hegemonia. There was a minor issue, though. Aldin had not yet obtained control of the system, and the Angry One was too close.

The Angry One scanned the old gods. It was a simple movement, but it made Aldin feel a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time. It was goosebumps.

'...Is she sizing us up? Determining who among us is the weakest?'

After realizing this fact, Aldin felt despair. Hegemonia's keen insight and intuition, mirroring that of her master, were incredibly sharp. She surely knew that among these old gods, Aldin was the weakest.

'...I can't die here.'

Aldin turned and drew out her weapon from the system window. It was a staff she had crafted long ago with a friend’s broken femur, back when she was a Wizard. Back then, that was how weapons were made. The staff, symmetrically coated in silver and decorated with amethysts, no longer looked organic but was a magical artifact, now impossible to replicate even with the system's power.

'I must see this as an opportunity. With this staff, I can block Space Cut at least once.'

If she could block it once, it would even out the advantage Hegemonia gained by killing Kenile.

'She's just at a level where she can barely use Hierophany. The idea of continuously killing enemies to increase her Divinity level and hastily gather Faith points to maintain her Hierophany form is nonsense... I'll show her where her damned arrogance leads.'

Despite these thoughts, Aldin knew she wasn’t Nebula. Nebula could have countered Hegemonia's attack with just a sword.

Aldin stepped slightly outside the Sky Castle where Hegemonia stood. She couldn't dodge a Skip. The rhythm of Hegemonia's attack was crucial.

'...Now? Is it now?'

Hegemonia disappeared. Aldin lifted her staff to her left, where she felt most vulnerable.

'Am I too late?'

Aldin reflexively closed her eyes even though she knew it was pointless. But there was no impact, neither pain.

"Aaaaah!"

The agonized scream came not from Aldin, but from another Sky Castle far away.

Hegemonia had severed the left limbs of an old god—about nineteen times bigger than herself—with Space Cut and then plunged her sword into the screaming god's neck. It was a clever choice as physically, magically, and divinely, the insides were always weaker than the outside.

'Was it because I drew my weapon...?'

Realizing she wasn’t the target, Aldin felt relief.

'This is better.'

Since Skip consumed Faith resources based on distance and complexity, the increased distance now slightly reduced the threat from the Angry One.

Moreover, with the death of two old gods, the others, having belatedly grasped the situation, began hiding into their Sky Castles. Having lived in peace for so long, they were defenseless for the moment, but they still remembered war. A Sky Castle was home, a defense mechanism, and a storage.

Looking back, some of them even used to be warriors. If they retreated into their Sky Castles, picked up the weapons they had put away in the past, and recalled those memories, some of them would be able to sufficiently challenge Hegemonia.

‘...I doubt anyone would win, though.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t only the old gods that could be relied on.

'There are the Angels.'

Aldin saw the Angels, like moths drawn to fire, rushing toward the Angry One. To Aldin, these Angels seemed like a difficult opponent for Hegemonia. With their numbers, even powerful attacks like Space Cut couldn't take them down in one go, and even if she did, she wouldn't gain as much XP as from the old gods.

'So she cuts them down one by one? Yes. That's what I want.'

Aldin floated, moving to the rear of her Sky Castle.

The one with all the authority in the system was Bifnen Dial Robane. The problem was that this absolute entity was excessively lazy. Having been in that position for too long, he felt no sense of crisis in any event. In Aldin's opinion, Bifnen had maintained such a disposition for tens of thousands of years, setting him apart from other old gods.

The only thing Bifnen paid attention to and guarded was the system's control. Therefore, to control the system, Aldin needed Bifnen's permission.

Aldin ascended, following the invisible procedures necessitated by the rules under which the Sky Castles were arranged, and in the process, she observed the Angry One cutting down Angels and attacking the old gods below.

The bodies of old gods already lay across the Sky Castles, blood spilling into the void; it seemed that Aldin wasn’t making progress as fast as expected.

'All that is meaningless, anyway.'

There was a reason for Bifnen's sluggishness. Unless Bifnen was killed, killing all the other old gods would be meaningless because with enough Faith resources secured, resurrection was simple.

The system's immense power turned life and death into mere causal transactions. Of course, Faith points were required, but Faith, when monopolized by one group, could be generated endlessly.

Not right now, of course. The old gods hadn't yet seized control of Avartin. However, someday, Avartin would submit to the old gods, and those who died today would rise again, boasting of having overcome death.

If Avartin didn't submit to the old gods? Such a thing would never happen. Now, they couldn't survive without abandoning the new gods and following the old ones. Aldin knew fear was another form of faith.

Aldin stepped onto Bifnen's Sky Castle.

"Father!"

Despite the chaos below, Bifnen's Sky Castle was quiet. This beautifully landscaped garden, Bifnen's favorite, was not to be entered carelessly, but given the emergency, Aldin entered.

"Father, right now..."

Aldin stepped into the garden, only to see a shadow rushing toward her face. She was struck and fell to the ground.

Aldin, sitting down, checked for pain. This was familiar enough for her now to know what had happened to her body just by the pain traveling up her nerves. Her neck was sprained, and her jaw was dislocated.

"You fool."

Even before lifting her head, Aldin knew the one who had struck her was Bifnen.

Aldin adjusted her jaw with her hand and then lifted her head. There was tension in her shoulder, and she felt pain somewhere in her ligaments.

"...I'm sorry. It was my oversight that..."

"That's what you always do."

"Either transfer the authority to me, or..."

"Are you commanding me?"

"...No, not at all."

Bifnen furrowed his eyebrows. "I will transfer the authority to you again. But you will have to be prepared for what comes after this is over."

Bifnen operated the system window. If necessary, Bifnen could do everything. However, tasks like Falling required going down to the Demon World. It wasn't a simple task that could be done cleanly through the system window, but involved passing through the dark passages of the Demon World and getting tainted with its corruption. Neither Bifnen nor the other old gods were willing to take on such dirty and unpleasant work.

While operating the system window, Bifnen paused for a moment. Aldin looked puzzled.

"My daughter,” Bifnen said.

"Yes."

"You are truly useless."

"...What else is wrong..."

Bifnen lightly spun the system window in the air to show Aldin the screen. On the screen, numerous Sky Castles attacking Avartin were engulfed in flames. The Empire's attack had begun.

"You didn't know about this either?" asked Bifnen.

"No, I..."

Aldin was hopelessly taken aback. She pulled up her system window. There were no notifications related to the Sky Castles in her interface, which she rechecked. But when she tried to check the locations of the Sky Castles, many were already disconnected. The scene shown by Bifnen was real.

Aldin stammered, "Th...there seems to be an error in the system."

"An error? You think that's an excuse?"

Bifnen swung his arm, and Aldin's neck twisted to the side again. This time, being hit by a fist, her nose broke, and she fell backward. Bifnen grabbed Aldin by her hair and forcefully pulled her up.

"How can you fail to accomplish everything you're tasked with?"

"...I will correct it."

"Hurry down to the Demon World and first drop that nuisance to the ground. I will be dealing with those rebellious mortals."

"Understood."

Bifnen threw Aldin aside, and Aldin rolled before getting up. Aldin was too accustomed to such abuse to feel fear or shame anymore. It didn't bother her. She wasn't overly concerned about what would happen next either. It would all pass.

'But the plan isn't good. There's no strategy for dealing with Hegemonia, who's causing chaos out there.'

Bifnen could be thinking that merely buying time would be enough, but Aldin felt it was necessary to be cautious.

Limping, Aldin stood up. "The new god causing chaos out there is dangerous. Arm yourself with weapons and harness power using the system..."

"You're suggesting I engage in combat with that thing?

Personally

?"

"We must prepare for the worst-case scenario. The other old gods are being effortlessly defeated."

Bifnen burst into laughter. "Then you better hurry. Stop blabbering and move, my slow and foolish..."

Bifnen's sentence was cut short by a violent impact on his Sky Castle. Aldin too felt a clear shake.

Bifnen walked past Aldin to the edge of the Sky Castle. "What is..."

Bifnen looked up. There was more than one new god. In the void, there was an enormous white parachute, large enough to cover a small Sky Castle. The immense size meant the complex network of wires connected to it hung from a single structure. Dangling from the parachute was a tank.

This tank, covered in red steel plates, had a cannon larger than any previously made in Avartin. Behind the main gun were automated machine gun nests, a mortar battery, and several missile launchers at the rear. It was like a conceptualization of modern violence. Below it, the endless pedrails prepared to conquer any terrain, spinning threateningly and waiting to touch the ground rather than the void.

Among the blood of the old gods and feathers of Angels, Hegemonia lifted her head.

-You’re late, cowards.

From the tank in the sky, the Hierophany form of Chistka replied,

-Is this one the head?

-Yes.

-Let's attack again.

Chistka's main gun moved to target Bifnen and fired without any warning.